Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-28
2002-11-12
Kincaid, Lester G. (Department: 2685)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S417000, C455S466000, C370S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06480717
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to digital cellular communication, and more particularly to non-GSM signaling in a general packet service based GSM network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”) is a packet data service used by Global System for Mobile Communication (“GSM”) networks to enable the GSM networks to send and receive data in an end-to-end packet transfer mode. As a result, network architecture used in a GSM network to support packet data service includes two pure packet network nodes. These pure packet network nodes include a Serving GPRS Support Node (“SGSN”) that is used to perform signaling operations, along with a Gateway GPRS Support Node (“GGSN”) used to interface with an internet protocol (“IP”) network. The SGSN can also be connected to other SGSNs belonging to other service providers, which in turn can also be connected to other SGSNs, and so forth.
FIG. 1
is a schematic diagram of a packet data service based GSM network. As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, in addition to a SGSN
22
and a GGSN
24
, a GPRS based GSM network
20
generally includes a mobile station
26
interconnected with a base station
28
that in turn interfaces with the SGSN
22
, a mobile switching center (“MSC”)
30
, and a home location register (“HLR”)
32
associated with the mobile switching center
30
that is used to authenticate service.
The base station
28
receives a message sent by the mobile station
26
and the message is transmitted from the base station
28
to the SGSN
22
. The SGSN
22
terminates the message, processes information associated with the message to generate new signaling, and transmits the new signaling to the mobile switching center
30
. In the same way, a message to be sent by the mobile switching center
30
to the mobile station
26
is transmitted from the mobile switching center
30
to the SGSN
22
. The SGSN
22
terminates the message, processes information associated with the message to generate new signaling, and transmits the new signaling to the mobile station
26
through the base station
28
.
In a network system in which both the mobile switching center
30
and the SGSN
22
operate using GSM based technology, this process of terminating the message and processing information to generate new signaling that is performed by the SGSN
22
involves processing of information using a single technology, namely GSM technology. As a result, the termination of the message and the generation of new signaling by the SGSN
22
can be accomplished without requiring significant modification to the SGSN
22
.
However, operation of different, non-GSM related technologies within the framework of the GPRS based GSM network elements, i.e., the SGSN
22
and the GGSN
24
, requires that technologies different from the GSM technology be included in the GSM network
20
. For example, when the mobile switching center
30
is designed to operate within the framework of a non-GSM network, the mobile switching center
30
utilizes technologies other than GSM technologies, and therefore the mobile switching center
30
must operate using a technology substantially different from that of the SGSN
22
in order to provide packet services to the mobile station
26
. Since the mobile station
26
can only be reached through the SGSN
22
, the SGSN
22
would be required to process information using both GSM and the non-GSM technology. As a result, connecting the non-GSM mobile switching center with the SGSN
22
becomes more complicated and requires significant modifications of the SGSN
22
and the non-GSM mobile switching center, limiting the extent of signaling and non-signaling messages that can be exchanged between the mobile station
26
and the non-GSM mobile switching center.
Therefore, what is needed is a procedure that minimizes necessary changes to the SGSN
22
and the non-GSM mobile switching center, while enabling deployment of a wide variety of signaling and non-signaling message exchanges between the mobile station
26
and the mobile switching center
30
, that has minimal effects upon the operation of the SGSN
22
.
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patent: 6104929 (2000-08-01), Josse et al.
patent: 6122293 (2000-09-01), Frodigh et al.
patent: 6167279 (2000-12-01), Chang et al.
patent: 6201974 (2001-03-01), Lietsalmi et al.
patent: 6243579 (2001-06-01), Kari
patent: 6320873 (2001-11-01), Nevo et al.
patent: 6327256 (2001-12-01), Paivike et al.
patent: 6415151 (2002-07-01), Kreppel
Satya Ramaswamy, “Gs' Interface Stage 3 text”, Sep. 29, 1998, 21 pages.
Satya Ramaswamy, “Signaling Techniques and Stage 2 Procedures for 136+/GPRS”, Aug. 31, 1998, 19 pages.
Chapa Lawrence J.
Gesesse Tilahun
Kincaid Lester G.
Motorola Inc.
Soldner Michael C.
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